Maxted brothers make history

Report contributed

Worthing-based brothers Kai and Lui Maxted recently made British junior tennis history.

Talented Kai, 17, became the first player ever to win the Nike Winter National Tour finals in two different age categories.

Kai followed on from his win in the under-16 event back in 2017 by claiming the under-18 category title this year.

Not to be outdone by his older brother, Lui, 14, has managed to collect under-14 and under-16 age category titles at the Nike Winter National Tour finals. Lui won both events in the space of a month which was enough to see him reach number one for his age group in the Great Britain rankings list.

Both brothers took up the sport at the age of three and, under the guidance of coach and mentor Cartier Barko, follow a strict and dedicated development regime that requires many hours commitment both on and off the court.

The majority of their training is conducted at David Lloyd in Worthing where the staff have shown great support for the boys.

Lui is also fortunate to have the support of the teaching staff at Worthing High, in particular headteacher Pan Panayiotou and senior assistant head Scott Swift, who provide enthusiastic encouragement, guidance and support to help Lui balance his academic studies and tennis commitments.

Lui’s PE teacher at Worthing High, Paul Gill, said: “We are very proud of Lui’s achievements to date and we look forward to seeing him progress through the ranks and hopefully on to the world stage.

“Lui is an excellent role model at school and he always uses his skills and experience to help others be more rounded performers.”